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Attendance: 43,012
France national football team
World Cup | Group Stage
Jun 15, 2014 at 8pm UK
 
Honduras national football team

3-0

Benzema (45' pen., 72'), Valladares (48' og.)
FT(HT: 1-0)

Palacios (43')

Player Ratings: France 3-0 Honduras

Sports Mole casts an eye over the performances of all the players as France beat Honduras 3-0 in Group E of the World Cup on Sunday night.

France opened up their World Cup account with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Honduras in Group E on Sunday night, as Karim Benzema shone to have a hand in all three of the goals.

Here, Sports Mole rates all of the players involved in the action at the Estadio Beira-Mar in Porto Alegre.


France pose for a team photo prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group E match between France and Honduras at Estadio Beira-Rio on June 15, 2014© Getty Images
France

Goal

Hugo Lloris: Had very little to do in the game, though he showed great leadership to command his box when necessary. Collected crosses cleanly when needed without any issues. (7/10)

Defence

Mathieu Debuchy: Did well to get forward and peg the Honduran midfielders back. Was always a threat whether in possession or on the counter. Also shot from the edge of the box to enable Karim Benzema to grab France's third goal. (7/10)

Raphael Varane: Played well alongside his fellow defenders, but perhaps looked a little shaky when placed under physical strain. Was able to combat this with some good positioning and decision making. (7/10)

Mamadou Sakho: Wasn't asked to do much all evening, but was mainly efficient when asked to do so. Did give away the ball carelessly in the second half, allowing Honduras to trouble Lloris for the only time in the game. (6/10)

Patrice Evra: Sometimes suspect defensively when getting forward, but didn't need to worry tonight given his brilliance going forward. Had a hand in most attacks and provided a perfect cross for Blaise Matuidi, who should have scored. (8/10)

Midfield

Blaise Matuidi: Controlled the midfield well and provided resilience when required. Also set up a number of important moves and perhaps should have bagged himself a goal or two (7/10)

Paul Pogba: Fantastic performance from the young Frenchman. Showed great strength and skill in equal measure to push France forward, also won the penalty to set Les Bleus on their way. (8/10)

Antoine Griezmann: Youngster showed real quality when in possession and helped to create a number of chances. Made one mistake all night having been flagged offside from a short corner. (8/10)

Mathieu Valbuena: One of the players to make a real difference. Was everywhere on the pitch and looked to always pass forward, whether it was short or long. Made great runs to make room for Benzema too. (9/10)

Yohan Cabaye: Played the perfect supporting role and looked to pull the strings from deep. Got stuck in against a brutish Honduran side and also created the second goal. (8/10)

Attack

Karim Benzema: The standout player for France against Honduras, scored two and had a major hand in the third. Great movement and use of strength up front and clinical when called upon. (9/10)

Substitutes

RIo Mavuba: Came on midway through the second half and didn't have too much of an impact. Settled into the team well and got on with his job of ticking the ball over. (6/10)

Moussa Sissoko: Looked to liven things up following his introduction and used his pace to get down the right flank. Almost carved out a goal-scoring opportunity. (7/10)

Olivier Giroud: Introduced fairly late on and did well to get involved. Might have worked the goalkeeper with a header from Evra's cross (6/10)


Honduras  pose before the Group E football match between France and Honduras at the Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 15, 2014© Getty Images
Honduras

Goal

Noel Valladares Easily the best Honduran player. Made a number of good saves to prevent his side from losing even more emphatically. (8/10)

Defence

Brayan Beckeles: Unable to cope with the guile of Valbuena, looked vulnerable all night. (5/10)

Emilio Izaguirre: Appeared a little lost on the pitch, especially when Benzema or any of France's attackers moved forward with the ball. (5/10)

Victor Bernardez: Again, was often out of his depth against France's more intuitive attackers. (5/10)

Maynor Figueroa: Perhaps the best Honduran defender. Lost his composure a little and committed a few nasty tackles as the game wore on. (6/10)

Midfield

Andy Najar: One of the more enterprising players for Honduras, looked to use his pace on the counter, though his teammates failed to provide him with any service. (7/10)

Luis Garrido: Virtually anonymous throughout and failed to press Cabaye, leaving France with far too much room in midfield. (5/10)

Roger Espinoza: Showed glimmers of class early on, but faded rapidly and gave the ball away too often. (5/10)

Wilson Palacios: An appalling performance. Should've been sent off earlier. Clumsy to give away the penalty. (4/10)

Attack

Carlo Costly: Tried hard to use his pace by pulling out wide on the flanks. Lack of service from midfield left him isolated and unable to get involved when needed. (6/10)

Jerry Bengtson: Unable to impact the game through a lack of service. Failed to press France's forwards. (5/10)

Substitutes

Marvin Chavez: Ineffectual having been brought on. Not much he could do to stem the flow of France, though. (6/10)

Jorge Claros: Merely a passenger as France marauded forwards. (5/10)

Oscar Garcia: Put in a shift despite probably knowing France would run away with the game. (6/10)


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France's forward Karim Benzema celebrates after scoring his teams third goal with midfielder Mathieu Valbuena, during a Group E football match between France and Honduras at the Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 15,
Read Next:
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Netherlands Netherlands32107
Q Senegal flag Senegal32016
3 Ecuador flag Ecuador31114
4 Qatar Qatar30030

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England32107
Q United States USA31205
3 Iran Iran31023
4 Wales flag Wales30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Argentina Argentina32016
Q Poland Poland31114
3 Mexico Mexico31114
4 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia31023

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q France France32016
Q Australia Australia32016
3 Tunisia Tunisia31114
4 Denmark Denmark30121

Group E

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Q Japan Japan32016
Q Spain Spain31114
3 Germany Germany31114
4 Costa Rica flag Costa Rica31023

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Morocco Morocco32107
Q Croatia Croatia31205
3 Belgium Belgium31114
4 Canada Canada30030

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Brazil Brazil32016
Q Switzerland Switzerland32016
3 Cameroon flag Cameroon31114
4 Serbia Serbia30121

Group H

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Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Republic of Korea South Korea31114
3 Uruguay flag Uruguay31114
4 Ghana flag Ghana31023


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